NJ Senate Passes Bill Prohibiting Disability Discrimination in Transplants

See this article, which begins:

Legislation that would prohibit discrimination against a potential organ transplant recipient on the basis of a mental or physical disability cleared the full Senate Monday. 

“People with developmental disabilities should not be treated as second-class citizens,” said state Senate President Steve Sweeney. “Their disabilities do not make them any less human or worthy of respect and common decency. They should be afforded the same rights as anyone would want when entering a hospital.” 

The bill, S-1456, would prohibit discrimination against a possible organ transplant recipient based solely on physical or mental disability. The bill, however, would permit a mental or physical disability to be taken into account by a physician or surgeon to the extent that disability may medically impact the transplant. The legislation would also provide for an expedited court process for anyone who feels that its provisions are not being upheld.